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The Moderne cuts costs and preserves design integrity

In its day, the Streamline Moderne architectural style of the 1930s signaled the promise of an opulent, new epoch while embodying the simplicity and restraint fitting for those frugal years.

How appropriate then that the stylish curves, refined silhouettes and handsome horizontality of that style would be subtly reprised in a sleek tower in downtown Milwaukee just now.

Somehow, the 30-story Moderne apartment and condo highrise, which should begin construction at the corner of N. Old World Third St. and W. Juneau Ave. any time, managed to knock about $20 million from its construction budget without noticeable design compromises to the exterior.

“The integrity of the design was the main concern,” said the building’s designer, Matt Rinka of Rinka/Chung Architecture Inc. “We had our heart set on this building,” he added, gesturing to an image of the trim tower’s exterior, set out on the table at the site’s sales center.

Originally, when plans were unveiled for the Moderne about two years ago, several floors were going to occupied by a boutique hotel, but developer Rick Barrett believes the apartment market offers a better be opportunity now. The number of high-end condos was also reduced from 80 to 14, Rinka said. All of this greatly reduced the cost of building out the interior of the structure, he said.

Which leaves the exterior – in perhaps even better shape.

The white-sand concrete and glass building is the architectural equivalent of a sleek, handcrafted cigarette case that comes together with a quiet, perfect snap.

This ran through my mind as Rinka spoke eloquently about the virtually imperceptible mullions that will join pieces of custom-cut, gently bended glass. The curved windows, with a 6-foot radius, will stretch the height of the building, giving it a signature element, a refined and translucent northeast edge. Visually, the glassy shaft is stretched even wider by adjacent vertical windows and slips right into the more dominant horizontal reticulation of the building quite delicately.

The slightly tweaked design also resulted in less overall material. Simple, clear glass panels will replace guardrails on the terraces, for instance, a small change that is ultimately cleaner and more modern. And instead of expensive granite veneer around the base of the building, dark colored concrete panels with obsidian rock integrated right into it will be used, a more honest representation of material that Rinka believes will be every bit as beautiful.

The mix of recessed and projected spaces has also become more unified. Balconies, which would not have been appropriate for the previously planned hotel floors but work for the apartments, will now stretch further down the building from its top, reaffirming another subtle element of verticality.

While the Moderne takes style cues from its namesake architectural style from the `30s, it’s not slavish to it, reinforcing the point that elegant design is more than a matter of style. It is about the confidence of individual expression and inventiveness.

And yet, Rinka did not shy away from a quintessential Streamline Moderne touch, either. A flat, curved roofline appears to float above a continuous band of set-in glass. It is a sleek, retro-futuristic note reminiscent of bygone ocean liners and that earlier fascination with speed, progress and forward momentum.

Paired with some of the classically modern elements, like the crisp, post-tension canopy around the building’s base, that occasional injection of true-blue Streamline Moderne isn’t at all overdone or kitschy.

And, can I say it? The Moderne’s design may ultimately be in the same league with some of the city’s best high-rises, like the newish University Club and Kilbourn towers, but it serves a different purpose. It’s nice to know that a sexy tower can exist downtown, west of the river and cater to the “market rate” apartment set

Rising above the 19th-century commercial structures but steps from the Water Street watering holes, performing arts venues and the promising but still largely vacant Park East corridor, the Moderne seems to embody Milwaukee’s sense of possibility at this moment.

Images courtesy Rinka/Chung

About Mary Louise Schumacher

Mary Louise Schumacher is the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic. She writes about culture, design, the urban landscape and Milwaukee's creative community. Art City is her award-winning cultural page and a community of more than 20 contributing writers and artists.

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